The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-04


she N lde sounds like the barking of dog
Al OF Sr times she emitted kissing sounds,
the w Unknown symptoms of the dreaded
dlseat During these spells she would fioth
at - mouth and leap about in bed. On
W 9dne5tay tn Sc commissions became worse
an the girl died. The bite was in the back
o. the shoulder
10 ascertain whether or not the cure of
hydrophobia had made any real progress of
late years, reporter called on Dr. Hermann
~ Briggs, the instructor at the Carnegie
Laboratory. DIR. Biggs went to Paris with
the Newark children to visit Pasteur little
over a year ago While there he became
greatly interested in the physicians theo-
ries and after much trouble was admitted
TO Pasteurs laboratory and became
Jealous student. He has since
continued his experiments, and with
Or. Valentine Mott now stands at the head
OF the profession IN the speciality of treating
cases OF h ydrophobia. At this time, how
ever, he is not Il Jealous disciple of Pasteur.
w bile admitting that some cures have SEEM
lngly been effected, still he says the tests are
only In an experimental state, and much of
the faith he had at first has been shaken.
Two cases, said DR.. Biggs, that might
be called positive cures, although not treated
by me, came under my observation. The
first was that of Mrs. John S. Ellis. of
Barlow on-the-Sound, over year ago,
Mrs. Ellis was bitten by pet collie dog
that afterwards died in commissions. No
symptoms of hvdrophobia presented them
selves, but still Mrs. Ellis became very much
alarmed. At the solicitation of friends she
at last concluded to go to Paris and be
treated by Pasteur."
Dr. Biggs was of the opinion that the
lady returned home cured. To ascertain
| moro fully about the case the reporter called
at Mr.. Ellis Office, at No. 100 Front street.
His secretary said that Mrs. Ellis went to
Paris soon after she was bitten ''In case, y
he continued, ANY alarming SYMPTOMS
showed themselves the family physician ac-
companied Mrs. Ellis.
Arriving in Paris she at once entered
the hospital and Pasteur began his treat
ment. For two weeks she was daily inocu-
lated and then pronounced cured. Mrs.
Ellis stayed several weeks longer abroad
before she returned home.
''Snce then she has enjoyed perfect health
and at present is spending the summer at
South Hampton. Mrs. Ellis, however, will
never forget her terrible experience while
being treated. She says it all seems to her
now like hideous nightmare. All Pasteur's
patients were at the time treated in one
ward. There could be met persons from all
parts of the world-Russians Poles. French,
Germans, Arabs and Americans. The scum
of the population of large cities as well as
persons of high rank entered together and
awaited their turn for incubation Others.
who were badly afflicted with the disease,
made the surroundings hideous with their
cries. 1t would take very great induce
ment to make Mrs Ellis again undertake the
trip
Returning to DR.. Biggs the reporter was
told of the second case. Last June a little
boy, named Charles Treadwell, of Mineola,
J.. l., was bitten by dog which evidently
had rabies. HE was placed under my
care" said the doctor, but for prudential
reasons | sent him to Pasteur. He remained
abroad two weeks, received treatment every
day and returned home. Since then he has
BEEN perfectly well and has shown no signs
of disease"
Continuing, the doctor said: "Pasteur's
theories in public and professional opinion
have had many ups and downs At
first they were hailed with delight,
and Pasteur was proclaimed a saviour of
mankind. Then opinion reacted and every
body lost faith in the doctor. Now comes
the report of the British Commission which,
by stating that they believe Pasteur has dis
covered a method by which animals can be
protected from the infection of rabies, again
installs Pasteur in high place But that
report has not changed my ideas at all.
consider that report as coming from the
commissions secretary, Mr.. Victor HoSsley,
alone. Over year ago, while in London,
dined with Mr. Hossley, and he convinced
me he was then prejudiced in Pasteuris
favor. His report, therefore, must be taken
with allowances.
What is Pasteur's method of treatment
at present q
His method now is such that would not
wish him to try it on me. He can first try
it on the dog. But this is his treatment:
For small bites through the clothing, the
first day he gives three NEGOTIATIONS with
medullas H. II and 10 days old. The second
day three inoculations with medullas 8, Z
and days old. The third day three inocu-
latious, o, and days old. From then
until the ten days he gives one incubation a
day, the medulla varying in strength as he
secs fit. His intensive treatment, applied to
persons bitten ON the head and face or
when patients have arrived late, is
as already told, with intervals of
two to four days for four, five, or even six
weeks. Among the persons inoculated by
this intensive method there have been nine
deaths from form of rabies hitherto
almost unknown in human being, namely,
paralytic rabies DIR. Valentine Mott has
told me that in his NEGOTIATIONS death was
almost invariably followed after subdural
injections of the virus. So far as the results
obtained go they show that there is some
peculiar nerve poison that Pasteur is ex-
perimenting with This poison is probably
that of rabies, and when attenuated and
used for incubation in prescribed man
ner, grants a certain degree of insuscepti-
biity to the strongest virus"
IF such is the case, doctor, what are peo-
pie to dol'
''Let them do as the British Commission
state in their report: If the protection by
incubation should prove permanent the dis
ease might be suppressed by thus inoculat-
ing all dogs, but it is not supposed that such
incubation would be voluntarily adopted
by all owners of dogs, or even could be en-
forced on them Police regulations would
suffice if they could be rigdly enforced.
But to make them effective it would be nee
essary, d that they should order the de-
struction, under certain conditions, of
all dogs having no owner or wan
dering in either town or country
C2) That the keeping of useless dogs
should be discouraged by taxation or other
means g. That the bringing of dogs from
countries in which rabies is prevalent should
he forbidden or subject to quarantine. a.
That in districts or countries where rabies is
prevalent muzzles should be compulsory,
and dogs out of doors, if not muzzled or
led, should be taken by the police as sus-
pected' There are examples sufficient to
prove that by these or similar regulations
rabies, and consequently hydrophobia could
Il 4